Switch for elevated carriers.



R. W. FRANKLIN.

SWIICH FOR ELEVATED CARRIERS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 19H}.

1,285,666. Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

R. W, FRANKLIN.

SWITCH FoR ELEVATED CARRIERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.6.1918.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. M 91 a Inventor, Ray. VVIFranKZz'n managin IAsunmIamn. r.

STATES PATEN oner.

RAY 'W. FRANKLIN, OF MONTICELLO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR T0 FRANKLIN CBARN EQUIP-MENT COMPANY, OF-MONTIGELLO, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SWITCH FOR ELEVATED CARRIERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application filed April 6, 1918. Serial No. 227,147.

, citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of Monticello, Jones .county,1owa, have invented certainnewand useful Improvements in Switches for Elevated Carriers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in switches for elevated carriers,and the object of my improvement is to ,supply'for use in connectionwith an elevated main trackrail, a switch-rail movably connected theretoand a plurality of siding rails adapted to be associated in turn bymeans of said switchrail with said main-track rail, means for shiftingsaid switch-rail into alinement with either iding-raihsaidmeans beingequipped with astop or stops for closing communication from the othersiding-rail or rails to said main track-rail, and said means includingresiliently controlled securing means for holding said switch-railin anadjusted position and adapted to become disassociated before shiftingthe switch-rail.

This objectI have accomplished by the means which are hereinafterdescribed and claimed, and which are illustrated in .the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a topplan view of my improved switch;Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, with parts broken away; Fig. 3isarear elevation thereof with parts in cross-section or broken away;Fig. 4; is a central.longitudinalsection thereof, and Fig. 5 is adiagram of a track installation within a building, including myswitching device.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring first to Fig. 5, which is a diagram of a=building 35, such asa stable, said building having a doorway 36, the numeral 32 denotes amain elevated track-rail conducted from without intosaid building, to-

-deliver to-za .pluralitypf siding-rails 26, 29 and, 30, also elevated,,andu-pon either of which .may rollthewheeled carriage 34 of epen g tt'r r e ,0 th Jik These siding rails are made to approach each other nearthe front ofthebuilding, their extremities converging adjacent to thefront-of the switch 17, the latter supporting a short switch-rail 23pivotally at 22 on a hanger 21 depending from a rear cross-bar 20, andsaid pivotal connection leads .into' the abutting end of the maintrack-rail 32.

The frame of the switch mechanism comprises bent diverging sidechannel-bars 18 secured at their rear ends to said cross-bar 20, and attheir forward ends to the ends of an arc-shaped casting 17. Said casting17 is fixedly supported by hangers 19 from the floor timbers overhead.The hangers 2 5, 37 and 28 support theends of the siding-rails 26, 30and29 respectively, and are fixedon the casting 17 to dependtherefrom.

The numerals 2 and 4 denote slides which are mounted to slide upon anarc-shaped cross-bar 1 whose ends are secured to depending lugs on theends of said castings 17. The metal slide 2 is longer than the otherslides 4. at its opposite ends, the slides 1 having integral armsextending underjthe' opposite ends of the slide 2, andpivotallyconnected to lug thereon by means of pintles 31. One of the lugs on saidslide 2 is extended downwardly to provide a hanger 1 supporting theswitch-rail 23. The laterally arranged slides 4 have integral outwardlyextending offset parts 3 which provide bracketed stops for a purpose tobehereinafter described.

Referring nowto Figs. 3 and 4c, themiddle slide 2 has rearwardlyextended spaced lugs 5 connected by'means of a pintle 8 upon which ispivotally mounted between said lugs, a lever 10 having lateral earsorificed to receive a cable 12 whose middle portion is knotted at 11 toprevent its slipping through said orifices.

ing forwardly from said pivotal connection, the lever 10 has an arm 7which is seated in a notch in the slide 2, being caused. to

This lever extends upwardly from said pintle, and a relativelystrongenter the cross-groove 15 in the lower edge of said cross-bar 1 bymeans of the yielding resilient traction exercised by said spring. Thislooks the slide 2 to said cross-bar 1 with the switch-rail 23 in linewith one of the siding-rails. Other notches 15 are provided in thecross-bar 1 at proper intervals to provide engaging means thereon forthe arm 7 in adjusted positions of the slide 2, to permit of thewitch-rail being adjustingly shifted into line with either of the otherrails and secured in the adjusted position.

The slide 2 has on its top a spaced plate 14, and rollers 13 are mountedin the interspace, the cable 12 being carried about the rollersoppositely and laterally to pass over rollers 38 mounted between pairsof lugs 27 depending from the ends of said casting 17.

Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that when the slide 2 issecured by above described means adjustably upon the cross-bar 1 so asto aline the switch-rail 23 with one of said siding rails, the bracketedstops 3 of the other slide 4: are positioned across the abutting ends ofthe other siding-rails, so as to effectually bar communication, and thusprevents an open switch in those locations, so that a carriage cannotrun ofi? these rails while another is in use.

To shift the connected slides, in either direction, either dependingcable-end may be pulled downward with some force, the lever 10 thusfirst being rocked to compress the spring 9 while disengaging the arm 7from the notch 15 on said bar 1. A continued pull on the cable shiftsthe connected slides along the bar 1 until the slide 2 is mediallypositioned over another notch 15, when the spring causes said arm toengage with the notch, thus locking the switch-rail in alinement withanother siding-rail.

I have provided means for vertically adjusting the level of thecross-bar l to thereby allow the switch-rail 28 to be maintained withits upper surface in the same plane as the fixed rails 26, 30 and 29.Referring to Fig. 3, this means comprises set-screws 42 mounted in thelower part of each end of the casting 17 and bearing against the loweredge of the cross-bar 1. To hold the crossbar in a vertical adjustment,the casting is slotted at 89, and a bolt 4:0 passed through the slot andsecured by a nut 4C1. Either end of the cross-bar may be raised orlowered by said means to keep the switch-rail in operative relation tothe other rails.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, a plurality of fixedly supported siding track-rails,a main trackrail, a switch-rail movably connected to said maintrack-rail to have its free end moved into line with either of saidsiding trackrails, supporting-means, a transverse bar supported thereon,a slide mounted on and movable along said transverse bar, a stopconnected to said slide, said switch-rail being connected to said slide,and said stop being positioned across one of said siding traclorailswhen the switch-rail is alined with another siding track-rail.

2. In combination, a plurality of fixedly supported siding track-rails,a main track rail, a switch-rail movably connected to said maintrack-rail to have its free end moved into line with either of saidsiding trackrails, supporting-means, a transverse bar supported thereon,a slide mounted on and movable along said transverse bar. said switchrail being connected to said slide, a stOp connected to said slide toproject across and bar one of said siding-rails, when the switch-rail ismoved into line with another siding-rail, and means for detachablysecuring said slide to said transverse bar with said switch-rail inalinement With either of said siding-rails.

3. In combination, a plurality of fixedly supported siding track-rails,a main trackrail, a switch-rail movably connected to said maintrack-rail to have its free end moved into line with either of saidsiding trackrails, supporting-means, a transverse bar supported thereon,a slide mounted on and movable along said transverse bar, said switchrail being connected to said slide, a stop connected to said slide toproject across and bar one of said. siding-rails, when the switch-railis moved into line with another sidingrail, and means for detachablysecuring said slide to said transverse bar, consisting of a detentconnected to said slide, resilient means engaging said detent, and saidbar having a plurality of engaging depressionssaid detent being held inengagement with either depression by said resilient means.

4:. In combination, a plurality of fixedly supported siding track-rails,a main trackrail, a switch-rail movably connected to said maintrack-rail to have its free end moved into line with either of saidsiding trackrails, supporting-means, a transverse bar supported thereon,a slide mounted on and movable along said transverse bar, said switchrail being connected to said slide, a stop connected to said slide toproject across and bar one of said siding-rails, when the switclrrail ismoved into line'with another siding-rail, means for detachablyconnecting said slide to said transverse bar adjustably, and other meansconnected to said securingmeans adapted to act on both saidsecuringmeans and on said slide successively to first disconnect saidsecuring-means from said bar, and then shift said slide along the barswitch-rail to keep it at the same level as the 10 to another positionof adjustment thereasiding track-rails. long. Signed at Monticello,Iowa, this 25th day 5. In combination, a plurality of fixedly of March,1918. supported siding track-rails, a main trackra-il, a switch-railinovably connected to said RAY FRANKLIN main track-rail to have its freeend moved WVitnesses:

into line with either of said siding track- MARGARET QUIRK,

rails, and means for vertically adjusting the E. E. REED.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

